Acts 20:18-35

"Dear Precious Disciple, Paul was finally on his way back to Jerusalem. His trip had been delayed because of the plots against his life. So he had..."

"When [the elders of the Ephesian church] arrived [Paul] declared, "You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have..."

"[To the Ephesian elders, Paul continued,] "And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an..."

"[Paul continued his talk to the Ephesian elders, saying,] "So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock — his church,..."

"[Paul, to the Ephesian elders at Miletus:] "But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I'm completely in the dark about..."

"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me — the task of testifying to the..."

"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me — the task of testifying to the..."

"[Paul, to the Ephesian elders at Miletus:] "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the..."

"[Paul said,] "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.""

Inspirational illustration of Acts 20:24 -- I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me -- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Inspirational illustration of Acts 20:24 msg -- What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.

"Dear Beloved, On Paul's last visit with the Ephesian elders, he warned them:Here are my instructions: diligently guard yourselves, and diligently..."

"Dear Beloved Disciple, Paul had many reasons to be on the road. He traveled extensively all over the regions bordering the northern and eastern..."

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Have you seen an angel running around oncology lately? This is a story about a needed ministry to those battling cancer called ChemoAngels.

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How can this bring me more joy? Patrick Odum tells about a boy who shared his winnings with his father rather than spending it only on himself and the joy that this attitude brought the father and Patrick compares this to the joy we give our Father, God, when we share.

Is it giving care or escaping from loneliness? We cannot hide our loneliness behind being busy, but God also uses our busy times to bless others and heal us.

Wow! What a precious addition to our Christmas with these boys. We hope to do something like this every year. Phil Ware shares a quick thank you for all who have donated and then focuses on establishing a new tradition of teaching his grandchildren to share what they have with others.

Where do you begin to find a new preacher, pastor, or minister? Tim Woodroof begins a series of articles by Interim Ministry Partners on discovering a congregation's mission by talking about how churches want to find someone to fill the pulpit in a hurry when they first need to discover who they are and what their mis

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How do you get out of your We have to act ourselves into a better way of feeling rather than think ourselves into a better way of acting!

The word In the end, the church is the group of people that belong to God. Other meanings may cloud our understanding, but we need to see that that's what the church is.

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Have you really experienced the joy of this truth? Phil Ware describes an experience one of the middle school teachers at his church had while listening to a student talk about receiving presents from a cool church.

Can you turn loose what you have to find the joy you don't have? Ron Rose reminds us that the best gifts are those we keep in circulation by sharing them with others.

Can you handle the truth? Happiness isn't just going to come along, you are going to make your own happiness by what you invest your life in.

What do we see when we look at how the early church met? Phil Ware talks about the public and house-to-house size gatherings that the early church used to grow and take care of itself.

What have you done to grow your soul lately? While we focus on physical exercise at the beginning of the year, why not also focus on spiritual exercise, too?

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How differently might we respond to his call if we truly realized that we are far more precious to him than any son or daughter could be to a loving mommy or daddy? Phil Ware begins a series of 13 messages on Vision by talking about his own son and daughter and how he had dreams for them as children.

Compassion employees are actually compassionate people, too. I never imagined to be so deeply moved by another group of people: the employees of Compassion.

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Have you got your heart, head, and follow through in gear? While we know Jesus said it is better to give than to receive, we often don't live like it!

Anything in your Christmas envelope? An older lady's mistake with Christmas envelopes reminds us that God never forgets to pay for our gifts!

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Jesus must be more than just a Savior! Mike Barres rejoices in the birth of Jesus as our Savior, but also reminds us that He must also be our Lord!

What do your ears want to hear? Some folks only want to hear the cheery stuff from God, not the hard stuff, too.